March 1, 2022
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers is a romance, coming of age book, that follows Grace Porter on one of her wildest and hardest life journeys. Grace is 28-year-old queer Black women who recently got her PhD in astronomy. She goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas and makes some drunk choices that later make her rethink how she was living her life. A girls’ trip turns into one of Porter’s most important life journeys.
One thing that makes this book such a powerful read is that Rogers does not shy away from writing about the hard topics of life that can often get glossed over in romance books. Rogers does not romanticize these topics either. Within this story Grace faces being a woman of color, being queer, burn out, mental illness, self-harm, family pressure and more.
“Grace is a real person; she is a queer black woman who lives STEM. She has mental health issues, has a black father and a white mother. She is intersectional and is not one thing without another. Grace is me, Grace is so many people, Grace is real,” senior Israel Bryant said.
Rogers did an amazing job making this book relatable and it is relatable to many types of people. Porters’ character traits do not fit her into one group, she fits into many. I relate to Porter because of the sexism, burn out and pressure she experiences. Other readers can relate to her in their own way. Rogers wrote her characters to be real.
I believe this book is amazing because it was not written for a single group of people. It was written for everyone. With that being said, it highlights the groups who are lacking in representation.
A good book makes the reader feel many things I believe and Rogers wrote Honey Girl in a way that achieved that. I cried, screamed, laughed, smiled, gasped, and cried again. The book was filled with emotions and written in a way that you have to feel them alongside the characters. I fell in love when Grace did, I was sad when she was, I was angry when she was. I felt when she felt.
The one thing I will warn readers about is that this book was written to be a coming of age then a romance. I believe that’s what makes Grace and her life feel so real. The romance in this book is done beautifully and it deserves hype, but romantic relationships were not then only ones being formed and mended. Rogers does a great job creating friendships and families made, not forced by blood. Which for some readers that might be all they need.
Rogers does not shy away from family made by blood though. Rogers created powerful moments for the reader to feel how cracked Grace’s family is but not broken. Those interactions can prove hope for readers who struggle with their own families.
I believe this book was written to create hope. Hope for a better future, hope for love, hope for healing. Rogers created a beautiful and powerful book that is one of my favorites.
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